The invention is directed to the manufacture of a multi-layered (composite) card, or any like instrument or document.
The term “card” or “cards” as used herein, and in the appended claims, is intended to include a large variety of documents and instruments such as a financial cards, identification (including a National ID or Driver's License) cards, electronic passport pages, gift cards, documents for holding permanent and long lasting records such as medical records or security cards, or other plastic cards used for promotion of a product or organization.
Various means of producing an improved composite card are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,552, titled Composite Card and issued to John Herslow, the applicant of this application, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference. However, there remains a demand for increasing the security of the cards (documents and/or instruments) being formed and used. For example, FIG. 4 of the '552 patent, shows security elements formed in a top layer 17 and FIG. 6 of the '552 patent discusses the addition of holographic material and other security indicia after the sheets are cut into standard cards.
Thus, to increase the security of a card, it is known to form holograms on the card. Generally, the holograms may be formed by a hot stamping method at, or near, the top (or bottom) surface (level) of the card. A disadvantage to so placing the holograms is that a counterfeiter may be able to alter the card without the tampering being readily apparent to someone examining or accepting the card. Also, positioning the hologram close to the top or the bottom surface of the card creates an asymmetry in its construction, whereby, when the temperature varies, different portions (layers) of the card may be placed under different degrees of tension and contraction resulting in stresses which tend to distort the card and/or the hologram (e.g., the card fails to remain flat). Still further, when the hologram is placed at, or near, the top or the bottom surfaces it may be easily and inadvertently scratched or marred.
Due to the highly sensitive nature of the “secure” cards, of interest, it is critical that they be made tamper resistant and sturdy and to last for a long time (e.g., more than 5 years) even where high temperature levels (hot or cold) and a high degree of humidity are encountered. It is also desirable that they be relatively inexpensive to fabricate and, very importantly, that the card be virtually impossible to be altered without destroying the card or the easy detection of the alteration.